[tytd]

Hello kgtuck,
I got a flu shot this year which also protects against the "swine" flu strain. I always worry about any medication or vaccines since I have such a low platelet count. However, I had no problem with the flu shot. I would highly recommend it especially since you have low white counts. I also would consider getting the Pneumovax vaccine which protects against pneumococcal pneumonia. It is usually given starting at age 65 but is recommended earlier in certain younger people at risk. Just be sure and get the flu shot which is inactivated and not the nasal flu vaccine which is live.
I had a few questions for you concerning your treatment with Dacogen. One was why your doctor chose Dacogen over Vidaza? The other was what happened to your blood counts during the first few cycles of Dacogen since you began with such low counts? Did your platelets drop a lot initially and did you have to get many platelet transfusions? Have you been given any growth factors like Procrit, Aranesp or Neupogen while you have been on Dacogen. Thanks for the information and I hope you will continue to do well. Tytd